1. You had so many points. You could, if I remember correctly, choose from three different. Each meal had a certain point value. One was for those that typically didn't eat breakfast, and basically the three depended on your schedule and type of eater you were. Also, included was a $50 value for any food places on campus.

2. You had no points, but rather a dollar value instead. You could put this amount towards meals in the dinning hall or any place on campus.

Within the dorm we had a "C-Store" (convenient store).

So your choices were: All you can eat in the dinning hall, "fast-food" from the on campus restaraunts, or nothing but processed foods from the C-Store.

I'm not sure how common this is in other colleges, but what I found most helpful was that in our rooms, we were permitted a mini-fridge and a microwave.

I had a little bit of extra money from a part-time on campus job, so I decided to grocery shop at a regular grocery store - I used the dollar value on my ID card for the other things such as toiletries (sp?), OTC meds, etc.

This allowed me to spend the same amount but choose from a better selection of foods - however much microwavable food you can choose from (though there was a kitchen you could reserve for a couple of hours which had a stove).

So, if anyone lives in a dorm, my best suggestion would be to try and shop at a regular grocery store if at all possible and avoid campus food as much as possible. The dinning hall was all you can eat, which can be very dangerous.

Even with doing that, I was in a crazy way with food. It was very easy access for binge food.

- - - - - - -

I just started back to a community college Fall 2006.

I'm currently living on my own as well as working full time during the days during the week, meaning classes are in the evening.

My first semester was pretty tough since I was going four evenings a week and only had 1/2 an hour at home between work and class.

Spring semester (due to start in a couple of weeks) will be a little less hectic as I'm only going twice during the week (though 3 hours each on both nights) - however on those two nights I will have the same half hour in between.

Because my job doesn't pay much, I don't have much money to begin with, but as I'm sure most (if not all) are aware, health(ier) foods aren't very cheep.

On school nights I've found that I don't have much time to grab something to eat - and I stay away from the cafe there (besides that I can't afford it lol). I know I could take something with me, probably, but I struggle with eating in front of others, so I tend to wait until I get home, which leaves me completely ravenous.

I know we have a fitness center there - however I'm not sure if it's class-only use or if it's open to all students for personal use. The things that stop me are:

1. Feeling completely mortified to ask - even if it's just calling on the phone.
2. I feel very self-conscious about exercising in front of people at the moment.

When I started back, I thought it'd help change my eating habits due to a busy schedule, but so far hasn't. I need to find a medium for those school nights so I'm not on the verge of passing out, eat everything in site upon coming home, etc.

I know we have a fitness center there - however I'm not sure if it's class-only use or if it's open to all students for personal use. The things that stop me are:

1. Feeling completely mortified to ask - even if it's just calling on the phone.
2. I feel very self-conscious about exercising in front of people at the moment.

Please don't be self conscious at the gym. My first day at my gym was SICKENING! I thought I would throw up or pass out on my first day. It was nothing at all like I expected! I have to admit that the first time I actually worked out, I felt naked walking out on to the floor. But I can't imagine NOT being there now.

Nobody looks at big girls at the gym.

And if they DID look, it would be admiration. If you work hard in the gym, people RESPECT you, not laugh at you. I promise. Give it a try, it could be the best thing that ever happened to you.

__________________We're fat chicks, not doctors. Please see your physician before taking advice found on the internet.

^ That's good advice, Jennifer. My first experience at the gym was embarrassing too. I was so awkward and self concious, lol. I fell on the elliptical machine and was working the weight machines all wrong. But I did realize that not many people were even paying any attention to me and the people who did pay attention to me were nice.

My problem is that I have no time and I'm always exhausted. I work part time and I'm in college full time. Attending an art school, I have sooo much homework - projects, projects, essays, projects. And it seems like when I'm not at school I'm either at work or slaving away on homework... and when I do have time (a very little time) to myself I'm extremely exhausted. Fortunately I've been eating well, but that alone hasn't helped me lose any weight.

Hello ladies,
I would love to join you. A little about myself. I am going back to school actually next monday, after being out for 4.5 years. I dropped out after having kids and being way to poor to pay for it, or bills, or anything. Well my husband and I have gotten ourselves caught up and I am jumping in head first. I am one of the lucky ones, I won't have to work. If I did my kids would be in daycare all day everyday and that sacrifice just isn't worth it to me. I would rather go without the little things money can buy.

I won't be working out at the school's rec center right away, mostly because I have an elliptical and tons of workout dvds at home, that and I don't want to pay for the extra daycare. Although after I get to the point that I will be seen in public in a bathing suit I will use the pool, I love to swim and it has been so long since I have gone.

Well ladies I am looking forward to getting to know all of you.
Until next time,
Jen

Jennifer, you are right about that. I have gone to a gym a few times. I once started out at a women's only fitness center - went a few times, never stepped foot in again. A couple of years ago I had a free 8 week pass for Bally's (discovery health challenge) - again went a few times, never stepped foot back in.

When I lived in a dorm, they had an exercise room for the residence. You had to sign out the key (I believe there were two) for a maximum time of 2 hours. The chances of anyone else utilizing the other key would have probably been slim, but I still felt too mortified to sign it out.

I *know* the gym won't be that bad once I make a habbit of going, but the first few times is the biggest hurtle. I'm going to do the discovery health challenge again, so I'll have an 8 week pass starting the 14th, so maybe once I get used to the setting, I'll have the courage to go to the one at school.

IAte86Crayons, It is really difficult when you have a busy schedule. I always thought it'd be easier to lose weight because I wouldn't be so focused on food - but several people said I'd find the time, and sure enough I did.

I'm sorry to hear that eating well hasn't helped in weightloss (yet), but I think if you keep plugging away with eating healthy, it'll eventually change. If anything, it's still healthy as far as what you are putting into your body (ie. more energy, etc).

Do you live on campus? Is the campus big?

The last school I went to had a decent size campus. I wouldn't say it's the largest, but I liked the fact that the campus extended so many blocks - gave me a reason to walk (not I should need a reason other than my health).

My current one is only one building (well, 5, but are connected and it's just not really that big), but I usually have to park far back, so it's a small walk just to get to the building.

gingerjen, first, congrats on getting back into school!

Second, I don't think it matters much if you take advantage of the rec center or not - mostly that you have the option, but mostly that you have other things you are able to do. I would love to have some of my own equipment (elliptical or treadmill).

hey girls, I'm plunging into the eerie depths of weightloss on campus too. It's my first year being away from home and I'm living in a dorm where it's not too far from anything. This first semester was ultra difficult for me 'cause I didn't seem to be able to resist tasty sweet foods when I was lonely, but now I'm back on track and though it feels like it's soooo much more work to be healthy, I'm doin' it.

I also got a yoga ball, mat and 3 DVDs for christmas, so I'm hoping to do those *daily*...that's a lot, but I think I can do it, I am taking less courses this semester specifically so that I have more time to exercise and do the things I love, like art.

Anywaysssss...That is enough about myself...I hope you guys are all doing well in the New Year...what with tackling your gym fears (I can't stand gyms, personally...they spook me) or gaining more energy.

IAte86Crayons, I know you said you were eating healthy and that wasn't giving you any benefits, but maybe you're lacking in some specific nutrients or minerals if you're exhausted all the time. Maybe you're not getting enough protein, or perhaps your iron levels are super low. If you're abnormally tired, maybe your diet is making the problem worse. I have anemia and am crazily deficient in iron, when I'm not doing anything about it my energy levels plummet so drastically that I wish I didn't ever have to get out of bed. I don't really know your situation, but maybe looking into that might help

IAte86Crayons, (I love that name! ) now that sweet_talker mentioned the possibility of a deficiency - do you take a multi-vitamin? Maybe that's something that may help?

I'm *trying* to take a viactiv daily (chocolate vitamins). I'm sure I'm probably not getting all the nutrients that I need, so I assume it helps, and plus it kind of gives me my chocolate taste for the day.

sweet_talker, I hope you don't feel bad about the first semester being difficult - it takes adjusting to new environments, but it sounds like you're heading in the right direction.

I've never been much into yoga (mostly because I don't stretch that way... well, not yet anyway - though I assume it's a lot easier when you have proper equipment lol), but it sounds like you like it (stating the obvious), and I think that's real important when it comes to exercise. You have to find something you enjoy, otherwise it's like a chore.

I live off campus in my own apartment, work part time at walmart and school full time, so I have very little time to myself. I'm going into my fourth semester, working to get my prereqs done for my nursing, and studying hard core for my EMT boards later this spring. I don't think I will know what free time is. (Luckily though I don't have any children...unless my 20 and 19 year old roommates count!)

Last year I lived in the dorms, it was terrible. The food was really greasy, and if you wanted to eat the salad bar you could have lettuce, cheese, dressing. That was it. What really got everyone was that they had to have at least $1000 each semester to spend in there. Although I have gotten out of that obligation, it's really hard for me to buy food that is really good for me. (I really don't get paid enough to buy the really healthy food). I'm not sure what all alternatives there are, but at this point the only thing I can think of doing is buying more fruits and veggies, and drinking more water than pop. The only thing with the water though is that our tap water is really gross, so I'm putting the crystal lite stuff in it. Does anyone have any ideas of healthy food alternatives that are fairly inexspensive? I'd love to know!

My tap water is also pretty bad. We keep a Brita pitcher full of water. I bought it on sale at Krogers for about $20 and it also had two filters with it. Each filter is good for at least 40 gallons, so it goes a long way.

Cheap healthy food I can think of...eggs and oatmeal! Boiled eggs for snacks, or with some fruit or oatmeal for a meal. Omelets are easy and cheap, and so are quiches and fritattas. You can also make a fruit crisp with some oatmeal. I don't remember how I made it, but I used to make fruit crisp with canned peaches and oatmeal in my starving college days. There is a way to make it without too much butter, and you can substitute Splenda for sugar.

Soup is generally not too expensive to make, and you can get a load of vegetables in this way. It's easy to reheat, also.

Stirfry can be cheap. Buy the mixed stirfry veggies in the freezer department and add some sliced chicken, tofu or frozen shrimp to it and add some sweet brown rice. We also like to buy some napa cabbage when it is on sale and stirfry that with it. You can buy stirfry bags that have sauce in them (we only use half, it's full of corn syrup and half is always plenty.) or you can buy some stirfry sauce in the asian food aisle.

Speaking of rice, you can get a lot of interesting and tasty rice at natural food stores in bulk, and for a fraction of the price of the commercial bags. Ours has 'sweet brown rice' and it is short grain brown rice, and it has a nice flavor. Not as overpowering as regular brown rice, and more fiber than the neutered, non nutritive white rice. We also buy steel cut oats, couscous and other grains there, really cheap. You scoop it out in to a bag and pay per pound. Just be sure and write on the bag what the water to grain ratio is because you won't have a package with cooking instructions when you get home.

Sandwiches can be healthy and inexpensive. When we ate meat, we always bought deli sliced meat a little at a time so it didn't go bad, and it wasn't expensive in single serving sizes. Add some fresh spinach and/or tomato, mustard, mild or spicy pepper rings, cucumbers,pesto, laughing cow cheese (not all at once, maybe!), hummus, onions, or anything else that looks tasty for something unusual that doesn't add too many calories. If it's just not a sandwich without cheese, add something aged and sharp, because a little goes a long way. Your $7 chunk of smoked gouda or aged parmesan can last a month or more.

Buy garbanzo beans, black beans or kidney beans to toss in to soups or add to salads to add protein and fiber. And they're nice and cheap! They're also good on the side with your entree, topped with salsa. Hope this helped!

__________________We're fat chicks, not doctors. Please see your physician before taking advice found on the internet.

I live at home and go to college, and I find that its really hard to eat regular meals during the day. and by the time I get home at night Im so hungry I clean out the fridge. I have recently joined LA weightloss and looking at their plan, I think Im in for a really hard time, 6 mini meals a day? being heavy I feel really self conscious about eating in class, or in front of people in the union. any ideas on anything that can help me with this?

__________________

To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. ~Buddha

jennifer-that's an amazing list! thanks a lot, it'll help big time!
cerridwen-in our union we have a balcony type thing (its actually a hallway that connects two buildings) and it has tables and chairs, there is also a "study area" in the upstairs of one of the two buildings in the union where we can eat, and not many people use it. is there possibly something like that at your college? I know we have a lot of random little "study areas" all over campus that people eat at (and they study too! multi-tasking!). I don't know what your school is like, but maybe there are places like that there! hope i helped a little!

I too am in college. I've lived on campus the whole time, and I'm gonna be a senior this semester.

I did REALLY good my first year. I dropped about 50 pounds. But, the last year and a half have been horrible. I've lost about 20 pounds at the moment, but I was down another 50 from that first year at one point.

Lately though, I've just been too busy to eat right. I know, I know, that's not an excuse, but that's the only way I can describe it. First of all, I go to a small school that is basically run by the students, so the caf is only open for a couple hours at a time. I am hardly ever free at those times. I am taking 18 hours, plus I work 15 hours on campus and 25 hours off campus a week. When I try to fit in homework AND exercise time, it just doesn't work. We also only have a VERY small fridge to be shared by me and my roomie, making it near to impossible to keep a lot of healthy stuff in our room.

ugh...

__________________there are so many people out there who will tell you that you can'twhat you've got to do is turn around and say "watch me"

Hello everyone,
I kinda thought that if we are going to help each other through this we should share a little info about ourselves for everyone else.
About me
I am 26 and a few credits shy of being a senior. I am a human services counseling major. I live off campus with my husband and two daughters. Although he is a trucker and is only home on the weekends.

My plan of attack
1500 calories a day
lots and lots of tea, I don't do well with water unless it is flavored.
At least 30 minutes of cardio a day -today was 45-I will go between the elliptical and taebo, and I have the turbo jam dvds I am wanting to try out.
Toning workout-3 times a week for about 20 minutes each, kinda depends.
My ultimate goal is about 140ish, depends on how I look and feel.

In a previous post I said I don't plan on using the rec right away-well it turns out one of my classes is in the rec, it is a required class so I can look to my instructor for help which will be very nice, also I know for sure I will be working out at least twice a week.

Well of to shower before the little one wakes up from her nap.
Later,
Jen